COURTESAN

Rating:
Summary: Haeger's Masterpiece
Review: I agree with the reviewer from Texas who stated that this was one of the best books she had ever read. That it is a first novel is remarkable: not only does Haeger have a depth of understanding of the period, rare in many authors of popular fiction, but she is truly able to make her characters come alive. I wish that her later works had the complexity of Courtesan. The Return, which I believe is her second book, is well worth the effort to track down. However, I just finished reading The Secret Wife of King George IV, and was somewhat disappointed. Maria Fitzherbert comes across as flat and uninteresting, and the writing is not as complex or literary as the style Haeger displayed in Courtesan and The Return. I feel she may have fallen into the hands of an editor who wants to make her more "popular" (remember Nancy Thayer and Ceje Ware?).

Rating:
Summary: Exquisite! Rich tapestry of characters, love, and intrigue..
Review: Not one to care about any royalty beyond the English throne or the Scottish clan chief, I was enthralled by the story of Diane de Poitiers and Henri II of France. Diane Haeger vividly brings to life a time frought with intrigue, treason, uncertainty, treachery - as well as love and hard-won happiness. Diane is an amazing woman and to have the devotion of a man like Henri, she must have been even more than history could say. Diane and Henri share a passion I sometimes believe only exists in books, and Ms. Haeger gives theirs heart-wrenching, awe-inspiring tangibility. I was impressed with her attention to detail and meticulous research - what I want to know is...what did she discover about these fascinating people, Diane and Henri, that she didn't share with her readers? Fabulous reading - what a treasure!

Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ
Review: THE BOOK IS RICH IN CHARACTER ILLUSTRATION. YOU COME TO UNDERSTAND THE LIFE IN COURT AND VIEW HOW ONE WOMAN, OF NOBLE BIRTH, MAKES THE BEST OF A SITUATION TO ALLOW FOR HERSELF AND HER FAMILY. THOUGH AN EPIC, YOU FOLLOW THE CHANGES BY HAEGER'S VIVID PROSE AND HATE TO SEE THE END OF THE BOOK!!